French Polynesia party snubs Paris invitation

French Polynesia's opposition Union For Democracy says it won't attend next month's talks called in Paris by the French overseas territories minister, Marie-Luce Penchard.

Last week, she issued an invitation to French Polynesia's key parties to review planned reforms to the electoral system in a bid to increase political stability.

Paris has under urgency changed Tahiti's electoral system three times since 2004 but the modifications have failed to restore political stability despite early elections in 2008.

A spokesperson for the Union For Democracy, Tea Hirshon, says the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has signalled a government re-shuffle is imminent and that means Mrs Penchard could lose her portfolio.

She says her party expects that a new minister would change things.

"We have seen it happen so many times we have no trust all. But we also feel ist is to deal with us and it should be done here."